Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. Sells 5,204 Shares of United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS)

Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. lessened its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) by 43.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,771 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 5,204 shares during the period. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in United Parcel Service were worth $1,065,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. MWA Asset Management bought a new position in United Parcel Service during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,125,000. Chesapeake Wealth Management raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 7,886 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,229,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Ergoteles LLC bought a new position in shares of United Parcel Service in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $8,571,000. Telos Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 74,337 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,587,000 after acquiring an additional 740 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in shares of United Parcel Service by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 28,354,781 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,082,594,000 after acquiring an additional 357,974 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 60.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Parcel Service

In related news, Director Eva C. Boratto purchased 1,400 shares of United Parcel Service stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $142.30 per share, for a total transaction of $199,220.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,400 shares in the company, valued at $199,220. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.13% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Parcel Service Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE:UPS traded up $2.61 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $146.40. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,924,062 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,359,674. The company has a market capitalization of $124.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.05. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a 12 month low of $133.68 and a 12 month high of $197.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $151.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $152.41.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The transportation company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $24.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.40 billion. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 7.37% and a return on equity of 39.46%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.62 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 8.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 8th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.45%. This is a positive change from United Parcel Service’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.62. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. United Parcel Service’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on UPS. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded United Parcel Service from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, December 26th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on United Parcel Service from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. TD Cowen cut their target price on United Parcel Service from $175.00 to $147.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Susquehanna reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised United Parcel Service from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $165.00 to $170.00 in a report on Friday, February 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, United Parcel Service currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $169.45.

United Parcel Service Profile

United Parcel Service, Inc, a package delivery company, provides transportation and delivery, distribution, contract logistics, ocean freight, airfreight, customs brokerage, and insurance services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of express letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States.